All for a Dancer
by BlueSirenRose
Summary: Everyone else has moved on and from the Afterlife Atem made several checks on his living friends. He watched as each achieved their dreams and how their lives slowly drifted apart. What shocked him was Tea had achieved her dream and then gave it up not long after. He saw her speaking with Ishizu but, heard not a word being spoken between them. ADOPTED!
1. Chapter 1

Prologue: Atem's Return to the Afterlife

Tea and the others watched with tears as Atem announced himself before the eye. The change into his true form as the Pharaoh and wished him well. Tea choked knowing her heart wouldn't fall in love again as it belonged to him.

She however, had a dream to accomplish. She would graduate school and go to New York for Julliard she would dedicate herself to dancing until she reached the stars and beyond. She would make Atem proud even from the afterlife so that once they met again…there would be no regrets.

As they all left the temple behind, they returned home and threw themselves into life. The group remained close throughout their high school years. Yugi continued to duel with Joey in world tournaments until Mai finally caved to settle down with him in America. Yugi and Rebecca came together happily as they got older marrying and even having children of their own.

Tristen and Miho ended up dating and left to travel the world together as Bakura returned to England. Duke and Serenity got together as Duke ran his highly popular Dueling Dice Monsters tournaments around the world with Pegasus.

Kaiba and Mokuba worked together to build a new body for Noah to upload himself among them if he still survived in the databases of Kaiba Corp. Seto remained a high contender in the duelist world many times losing to Yugi as he worked to establish the Duelist's Academy.

The Ishtar family returned to the sands of Egypt where they continued to prosper in the museums around the world dealing with the Egyptian legends as they helped their people no longer fearing for the Millennium Items. Marik healed under the watchful eyes of his family and remained in contact with the others.

Atem smiled as he watched over them throughout the years seeing them all build families of their own. Tea was the one who confounded him though much to Isis' and Mana's entertainment. She attained her dream of dance but, she never had a family of her own. He watched her soldier on as her family died and remained strong throughout. She danced beautifully on shows in the lights and he could see her speak with Dark Magician Girl. He looked to Mana who giggled at his confusion, "What? She likes Tea and goes to see her when she can!"

Atem turned from the pool waiting another year of time before he could check on his friends again. "Why hasn't she had her own family? She achieved her dreams…she still has her friends." Mana sighed, "Pharaoh not everyone is lucky enough to be born in the lifetime as their soul mate. Tea is one of them…her soul mate was born long before her and he died before her."

Atem sighed, "She could still fall in love…have a family in this life." Mana rolled her eyes muttering, "Not if she met her soul mate who left her for the afterlife because of destiny she can't." She turned and explained, "If she met her soulmate for even a moment Pharaoh…she would never be able to fall in love. Her heart would have already been claimed by them intentionally or not."

Atem glared at the blank water, "After everything she did for me…for all of us. I just want her to be happy."

Isis gave a soft smile, "She will be when she joins the afterlife Pharaoh. She has some time left among her friends before that time though." She touched her necklace softly, "I've seen it…you don't need to worry my Pharaoh. You will be with your friends again. You just don't have to wait as long for one of them."

Isis and Mana looked to the sky of the afterlife with a smile, "Isis and Osiris have something else in mind." They muttered together before giggling causing Atem to growl in frustration before he too smiled. The three laughed together trusting in the gods and their plans for them all.

Chapter 1: Tea's Final Show

Tea was in the dressing room preparing for the final showing of the Swan Lake play. She was playing the role of Odette and was ready for the final act. She had handed in her early retirement and not many knew why. She had been diagnosed with end stage cancer. Rather than choosing to suffer through chemotherapy she chose instead to spend the remainder of her life seeing her friends and helping the people of Egypt.

Seto Kaiba and Ishizu both were suspicious of her sudden desire for change and rightfully so. I order to keep her promise to her friend the Pharaoh she continued to dance. She could not allow her heart to move on for it still chose him. None could compare to the emotion he had evoked within her. She had received her final check with the bonus and put much of her life savings into charities.

Seto had asked her why the sudden change, "It's just my time. I want to go out a star not a broken doll." He respected the view but he knew there was more to it. Eventually she had flown to Japan on a holiday 3 years after her parents had died and gave them the news. She was dying, the cancer was originally ovarian and due to the length of time it went undetected it spread to her uterus, and one of her kidneys.

Both of them were in denial until she removed the scanned images and swore them both to secrecy. She agreed to Kaiba's terms that she would try 2 treatment avenues of his choice before surrendering to her fate. He had called in the top specialists and they both remained resolute. Her cancer was too wide spread and too aggressive to remove. Ishizu begged Tea to reconsider not wanting to lose one of the few friends she had. Tea explained her aversion to chemotherapy, how painful and sick it would make her, how her grandmother had suffered from it.

Tea was satisfied with her lot in life and made them understand that dying in Egypt closest to the Pharaoh as she could be and with her friends was what she wanted most. She would spend her time cultivating the dancing talents of the children in Egypt and spend time helping the people there. Seto after the avenues he chose failed bowed out with respect he had done enough research to understand her desire to remain happy and whole before her death.

Doctor's claimed she should be in treatment because she would die within 6 months. Tea knew better…she had at least a year possibly two.

Tea stepped out onto the stage and began her final dance her friends' voices in the crowd with their children. She smiled softly as the music continued to play and she danced. Her fellow performers danced their hardest dance to honor their beloved friend's final show. They did not speak of it but, many shed tears when hearing the final performance was unchangeable. Tea simply wasn't meant to stay forever but she had many good years with them all and they cherished every moment.

As the final act came to a close she swore she could here Atem's voice, **_"Well done Tea."_** Tea just bowed and whispered under her breath not knowing he could actually hear her, "Thanks Atem, this one was for you." She stood with a smile and moved to the final goodbyes to the audience.

As she and the other dancers returned backstage many of them gave her hugs full of affection. What she didn't realize was that all her friends were being packed into her dressing room. She gave her boss a hug and whispered gently in his ear thanking him for all the amazing shows they put together. He gave a teary eyed smile, "Good Luck Tea, enjoy what time you have left with those you love…you've earned it."

Tea smiled and gave a tight squeeze to all her fellow dancers and show producers before going to her room only to see everyone. She gave a big smile, "Hey guys so did you all have fun?" The group cheered almost in sync. She got to her knees to hug the kids as they approached her. She moved to stand and Joey practically picked her up to spin her in the air.

"It was awesome Tea! So are you really moving to Egypt?" He gave her a serious look in his brown eyes. Tea knew he could see something was up now that he lifted her. "Yeah, I am Ishizu already helped me pick out a place close to her and Seto finalized the purchase for me with the realtor. My things are being moved as we speak with the exception of the overnight bag for the journey."

Joey began to pout as Mai knocked him upside the head, "Hey Joey, no complaining Tea's a big girl she can do what she wants." Joey sighed and asked softly, "Can I talk to you later alone?" Tea nodded reluctant of having this conversation. Seto overheard and he quirked his eyebrow only to receive a grim nod from Tea.

Mai remained suspicious due to Joey's reaction to lifting Tea but, she had the tack not to say anything about it.

~In the Afterlife~

Atem saw the announcement of the show being her final performance he had been wondering why she would be leaving the stage so young. However he and the others remained enraptured as they watched the story unfold throughout the performance.

They all watched with varying degrees of amusement and confusion as the many people had tears and were saying goodbye to the dancer. Atem mused over the words spoken by her manager, "Mahad…is there something wrong with Tea?"

Isis stopped Mahad from speaking, "My Pharaoh, we cannot look without her permission. You know this." Atem allowed his gaze to travel to the seer, "You've seen something in her future…" Isis tapped her necklace, "I already told you. She has some time yet but, you won't have to wait as long to see her again."

Mana sighed almost sadly, "So she is going to die young?" Isis sighed, "Yes, but she is aware as are the Ishtars and Kaibas. She has fought to live the rest of her life pain free after trying two procedures to help." Mana looked at Atem who froze in horrified shock.

"Pharaoh, not everyone has a family or a soul mate in their life. We've talked about this before." Mana said simply, she shared a glance with the seer. She gestured to the pool and told him, "Now watch and listen."


	2. Chapter 2 Goodbyes & the Flight to Egypt

Tea had helped put the kids to sleep and was changed into more comfortable clothing for travel. The Ishtars, Kaibas, and now Joey and Mai were traveling to Egypt on Kaibas private plane in order to help Tea settle in. As the others said they would visit Tea moved onto the plane with a tired smile sitting and relaxing into her seat as Ishizu sat beside her.

Joey and Mai took the seats across from her, "So Tea, what's going on? You stop dancing; you're way to light for it to be healthy, is everything alright?"

Tea gave a shaky but happy smile, "Joey I have 6 months by a doctor's belief…that was almost 9 months ago." Mai gasped and tears filled her eyes, "What…Tea you're sick?"

Tea grabbed Mai's hands, "I have aggressive end stage cancer, and it went undetected even with my regular physicals for too long and spread from my ovaries to my uterus and even one of my kidneys." Mai took a deep breath and looked to Kaiba, "Did none of the treatments or specialists out there have any help?"

Kaiba sighed, "No I brought in the top specialists both in traditional and experimental therapies, there was nothing to be done."

Joey growled, "What about Chemo Tea?" Tea gave Joey a pained look, "You saw what happened to my grandma when she went through it Joey. She was sick and in pain all the time and she still died." Tea shook her head, "If I'm going to die Joey I'm going to die while living the rest of my days in Egypt painless. I am not going to make myself sicker in a false hope for a miracle cure."

Joey shook from pain before he gave an ironic laugh, "So it hit your baby factory first…I guess it's a good thing you never had kids. It would kill them to see dis." Mai smiled tremulously at her husband, "I guess that means you have to say hello to Atem and the others for us won't you Tea."

Tea gave Mai a smile, "Of course I will Mai. Just promise that we can enjoy each other's company and smile." Mai switched seats with Ishizu and hugged Tea tightly, "Of course we can, Hun" She gave Tea a smile as the tears disappeared while commenting, "Maybe it's fate, you never fell in love again after he was gone. This way you can be with him again."

Tea blushed, "Mai, Atem is a wonderful friend," Mai snickered as Joey smirked, "A friend who is male who you fell in love with and never told him." Tea grumbled under her breath as the others on the plane laughed at her. Mokuba who was too big to be crawling into her lap decided to do just that, "Tea, I don't wanna give you to the Pharaoh, he's stealing you away!"

Mokuba's fake tears just made the others laugh harder as Tea mock glared at him while blushing, "Hey! You're too big to be crawling into my lap anymore mini-Kaiba." Seto sat in his chair and chuckled at her predicament with Odion and Marik enjoying the show too.

"Our group is never dull is it Kaiba?" Marik asked softly, Kaiba just continued to chuckle. "Never a dull moment with this group…that Pharaoh, not that I believe in any of this magic crap." Marik rolled his eyes listening to the older Kaiba, "He changed a lot in their lives but, most especially in Tea and Yugi. They spent the most time with him and did the most to help him grow and remember who he was. What the Pharaoh didn't realize was that he took her heart with him."

Marik looked at Kaiba, "Why did she never tell him she was in love with him?"

~In the Afterlife~

"She was in love with me…all of that time?" Atem sat in shock as he observed the events Mana tapped him upside the head, "Just listen Pharaoh!" Isis just snickered with Set from behind them. Atem just conceded as his heart pounded in his chest, 'Tea, why didn't you ever say anything? I would have listened...I would have found a way.'

~On the plane~

Seto sighed with a dry smile, "I asked her the same question. She gave 2 reasons. One: She wasn't selfish to try and ask him to stay when he was ready to move on. Two: It was never the right time, his soul, his mind, but in Yugi's body. She could never even attempt a relationship with him since it wouldn't have been fair to Yugi or Atem."

Marik just smirked, "She really is the perfect woman isn't she?" He looked almost jealous of the Pharaoh for having her love. "Tea told me something once, when I asked her why she never moved on after he left." He turned to the older Kaiba, "She said, 'Love isn't something you chose…your heart does. The only choice you have is whether or not you act on it.' She chose to show her love through friendship and loyalty. Maybe in the afterlife she can be loved the way she deserves or in her next life."

Seto shrugged, "That will depend I think she is so used to putting her feelings on the back burner that she will continue to do it. As we tend to say in duels, 'It's his move' if anything happens between them. It will be up to the Pharaoh to make it happen."

Odion sighed, "Does it not occur that we should not be speaking of her emotions…we never know who is watching." He muttered under his breath, "Poor girl can't even have feelings without everyone sticking their nose in them. I pray the Pharaoh doesn't hear of it like this."

~In the Afterlife~

Atem, Mana, and the others looked a bit sheepish at the gossiping group. Atem focused on Tea and her posture he could see the tension in her abdomen but saw she was leaning easily against Mai as they chatted while Ishizu and Joey had a mock duel on the plane.

"She seems worn out doesn't she?" Mana asked softly, "What is end stage cancer anyway?" Isis gave an explanation to downplay the pain, "It is a slow wasting sickness at first normally sorted in severity by stages it can be treated safely until stage 3 depending on the location and aggressiveness of the cancer. In her case it was not detected until it was in its final stages. Her physician stated he thought she only had 6 months left."

Mana looked up at the priestess, "How long does she have really?" Isis smiled softly, "Tea has about 15 months left which is a year and half longer than the healers expected of her." She looked down on the girl, "You should be proud Pharaoh, cancer is a painful and slow way to die but, she is fighting to live as long as she can to grant your friends closure. There are not many who can do the same."

Atem kept his gaze upon her, 'So much suffering in such a beautiful soul. I am truly sorry Tea but, you will be among friends when your time comes this I swear.' He stood and moved towards the chamber to request audience with the Egyptian Gods. The others watched after him as he left Mahad turned to Isis, "You don't think he's going to…"

Isis smiled to herself, 'Beseech the Gods for a second chance My Pharaoh. Take the leap and ask for your life to cherish it with her. Her death is only ordained because her soul mate chose to return to the dead.' She smiled at Mana and looked to Shimon who also smiled with a nod of agreement.


	3. Ch 3 Atem's Request, The Gods' Offer

Atem moved swiftly towards the audience chambers in the Ancient Egyptian Afterlife with his friends. He too cared deeply for the dancer who brought him to life and helped him discover his past. His fingertips touched the cartouche she had given him once blank until he remembered his name with her help. The chamber doors were already open almost as if someone was expecting him.

As he entered the chamber he calmly put his thoughts together about his request for her. He wanted her to be welcome into the normally closed Afterlife of Egypt with him. He heard the voice of a soft but powerful Ra behind him.

"You wish to speak with the gods Pharaoh?" The voice was welcoming in a way to let him know he would be heard.

"I have a friend who helped me through all my trials, she gave me hope, she gave me love I was not able to return, she selflessly held her feelings inside so I could return to the afterlife in peace." His smooth baritone spoke the facts.

"You speak of the dancer girl, the beholder of friendship, Tea Gardiner do you not Pharaoh?" Another deeper voice spoke. It reminded him of the guttural roars of Obelisk.

"I do and now I find she is to die young, no marriage, no children, leaving all our friends behind." His heart clenched tightly in his chest.

"Not all mortals die old and gray, not all end with happy endings Pharaoh." A tenor softly hissed from above reminding him of Slifer.

"Not all mortals faced Ancient perils with a smile and a willingness to help…it was not her war and yet she stayed through it all." Atem responded.

"What favor do you seek from the gods young Pharaoh?" The omniscient voice of Horathky asked simply.

Atem bowed his head, "I wish the gates of my Afterlife to be opened to welcome Tea." He placed his hands upon his forehead as he dropped to a knee, "I wish not for someone as pure as her to be alone in her Afterlife."

He could hear the whispers of the gods yet understood not the words they spoke behind him. He felt the briefest touch upon his shoulder, "Rise Pharaoh, while we cannot open the gate to the Afterlife for her…we can send you back to the beginning of the end. You will be granted a choice you did not consider before."

"The beginning of the end, a choice, what choice do you speak?" Atem asked uncertain of their meaning.

"The final duel wasn't about freeing your soul to the afterlife… it was about free yourself and Yugi from your dependency upon one another. You found your balance, now you must choose." Atem looked up at the gods, "What of her illness? I don't wish her to suffer more than she has already."

"Her illness was a response to fate. You are going back far enough to change it…I will give you a gift of knowledge. After the death of her parents she will find herself pained before an audition a minor one which is inconsequential to her goals to be a dancer. Force her to see a physician ask Kaiba for assistance if you must. Do so and her condition will be in its beginning and easily removed."

Atem looked to the gods and then to the door, "I shall say goodbye to my old friends if you will allow it and I will return to where this beginning of the end."

The chorus of voices answered, "We wish you well Pharaoh."

Atem moved from the audience chambers and returned to his version of the afterlife. Isis stood with a smile her fingers lingering smugly on the necklace. "You will be leaving us Pharaoh…I am looking forward to watching over you as this beautiful future comes to pass."

Mana looked at her friend with a smile, "Dark Magician Girl will continue to visit you both I'm sure…she likes you but, she adores Tea!" Mana was more than happy to let her friend live the life he should have to begin with. She was almost annoyed after the Pharaoh returned to them when Yugi defeated him. She almost decided to tell him when Isis and Mahad prevented her reassuring her that everything would be righted in time.

Atem smiled at all his friends, "It seems there was a choice when Yugi defeated me that I remained unaware of. The gods have blessed me with a chance to return to that moment and choose another path." His amethyst eyes were gleaming with a forgotten joy as Mana bounded forward to hug him, "Go get yourself a queen Pharaoh…when you come back next time I want to meet her properly!"

Atem gave a smirk reminiscent of all their trials in Ancient Egypt that many of them had been missing, "When next we meet it will be as equals in the afterlife my friends. I am no longer a Pharaoh but, I will be introducing you to a queen…My queen."

Shimon and Set nodded in approval, "We await that day Atem…when you return you will be welcomed with open hearts and open arms." Shimon said proudly. Set moved forward to clasp his hand on Atem's shoulder, "I cannot wait to meet your queen cousin. I did not meet her myself but, I was told many wondrous things by Mana."

Atem nodded and moved forward with a feeling of empowerment, 'This time Tea…neither of us will walk alone again. This I swear to you,' Atem's thoughts drifted slowly as he planned his way of letting her know he was hers. He would wait until they left the temple and could speak privately after announcing his intent to stay among them. "I am coming my queen." The other's watched as the doors to the living world opened once more and Atem charged himself back into his own body allowing the memories to merge with himself after his defeat from Yugi.


	4. Chapter 4 Atem's Choice Rewritten

Atem regained himself in front of the gates to the afterlife and felt the warm encouragement of those around him to move on. He remembered the gods' words, the memories of the afterlife he didn't have before, and most importantly his feelings for Tea. He took a deep breath before stating, "I have yet to truly live…my destiny is fulfilled and my debts are paid. I choose…to stay with my friends." The Ishtars looked horrified as the eye began to glow in front of everyone until a series of voices could be heard by all the shocked by standers in the temple.

"Your wish has been granted Pharaoh Atem, as reward for your 3,000 years of service to the gods we gift you a new life in a body of your own." Atem closed his eyes and bowed gracefully, "You have my gratitude." As he stood he was tackled to the floor by Yugi, Tristan, and Joey. Who all laughed in joy and relief Atem had a great impact on them all.

Tea stood heart in her throat and tears of joy in her eyes as the boys tackled the shocked Pharaoh to the floor. She giggled tearfully as she heard Mokuba and Kaiba say their own pieces to the Pharaoh along with the Ishtars who waited for this day to be the equivalent of gaining their freedom from their duties to the Pharaoh specifically. A small tinge of nervousness ran in her abdomen but she just continued to smile and wiped her tears away.

Atem laughed and forced the boys to get off of him and formally introduced himself to the Kaibas and the Ishtars. Everyone was intrigued as his skin darkened to his Egyptian tones and he nodded before moving along to greet Tea who had stayed braced against a pillar. "It is good to have a body of my own, now Aibou is ready to face the world without me and I can experience everything with you all first hand." He smiled down at Tea as he was slightly taller than her watching as she weighed her words.

"I'm sure we are all glad to have you with us." Tea was almost shy but, the warmth in her voice couldn't be mistaken as she hugged the Pharaoh who returned her embrace eagerly whispering, "When we have a moment alone I'd like to speak with you again Tea." She easily agreed and was reluctant to release him from her embrace as his warm baritone reached her ears softly. He gave her a tight squeeze before releasing her with a chuckle.

Tea watched as Atem moved over to Rebecca who glared at him. She watched as the expressions on Rebecca's face changed and ended with a small smile. 'He must have apologized for endangering Yugi's soul…I'm just glad that it's all over and Atem gets to stay with us.' She remembered his whispered words, "With me." She whispered so softly no one heard.

Yugi watched Tea's reaction from the side with a soft smile and waited for Yami to get done speaking with Rebecca. Yugi knew she had been afraid for him when Yami lost him temporarily in a duel. Yugi looked from Yami and back to Tea with a warm feeling in his chest. He thought towards Yami, 'Pharaoh…I hope you and Tea get the happy ending you both deserve.' What he didn't expect was to receive a warm response in return, **'I intend for us both to be happy for the rest of our lives Aibou. Tea's feelings are not unrequited. Should she choose she will forever be my queen.'**

Yugi refused to show that he heard Yami still in his mind but smiled. He moved over to stand next to the Kaiba brothers as they headed towards the steps and readied themselves to leave. Once everyone was out of the temple they moved to the sand safe vehicles and noticed the temple sinking into the sand. Ishizu drove a vehicle with Marik, Yugi, Rebecca, Tea, and Atem as ride along passengers. The other vehicle driven by Odion had Seto, Mokuba, Bakura, Serenity, Tristen and Joey as passengers.

It didn't seem like long until most of the passengers fell asleep in the first vehicle. Only Ishizu, Yugi and Atem remained awake. Ishizu glanced back at the Pharaoh through the mirror, "So my Pharaoh, what do you intend to do with your new lease on life?" The Egyptian woman remained respectful even with her shock at the unexpected events. Yugi looked at Yami appraisingly, "Yeah Yami, I thought the duel was to allow you to return to the afterlife?" Yami looked at Yugi and Ishizu, "In truth I too believed the same. I originally did pass to the afterlife." Yugi and Ishizu looked surprised, "Why are you still with us then?"

Atem took the time to explain his circumstances. He told them how he watched over everyone as they achieved their dreams. How some of them had begun families of their own. He then expanded on the depths of friendship he witnessed between the Ishtars, the Kaibas, and Tea. He made sure they understood everything he shared before expanding more. "I also saw Tea become a great dancer. She was on the Broadway stage after graduating from Julliard School of Performing Arts in New York."

Yugi gave a happy laugh, "That all sounds great Atem but, it doesn't explain why you gave up the afterlife." Atem looked down at Tea with a small smile his eyes held a glow Yugi had only seen a few times. His eyes opened wide in surprise, "You really love Tea don't you? You came back to be with her."

Atem looked at Yugi and Ishizu seriously, "I came back to give us the chance we didn't have before. I also came to make sure she lives a long and happy life." Yugi winces, "Well that doesn't sound good. What's up?" Atem took a deep breath, "Tea, she became a great dancer but, she was giving it up to move to Egypt for the rest of her days."

Ishizu looked shocked at that, "Why would she?" Atem sighed, "She was diagnosed with a form of end stage cancer…she didn't want to suffer through chemo like her grandmother." Yugi gave a frown, "So they caught it too late…wasn't there anything to be done?" Atem gave a dry almost derisive smile, "No, Kaiba tried…Ishizu tried but, they found it too late and it was too aggressive to attempt to remove."

Yugi looked in concern for Tea, "You know when it starts? How we can stop it?" Atem sighed, "I plan on speaking with Kaiba finding a way to catch it early so she can get it treated immediately once it's found." He looked up at Yugi, "I may need you to help if you notice Tea cringing from pain in her abdomen at any time…please let me know."

Yugi nodded in agreement, "Of course just keep me in the loop. So what do you intend to do besides that? Is there school or a job you're interested in?" Atem looked at Ishizu, "I was hoping to either stay in duel monsters or help with Egyptian exhibits…I wish to be able to stay close to Tea. No matter where life takes us in doing so, she is my priority." Ishizu smiled and began running plans in her head for the Pharaoh she knew she would need to approach Kaiba as well.


	5. Ch 5 Returning Home, Tea's Secret Skill

ZIL: Hey everyone here is chapter 5 of All for a Dancer. Please review I would really love to know what you think of this new story so far!

It had been only a few days since everyone returned to Japan from Egypt with exception of the Ishtar's who promised to visit in a few months' time. Yugi and Yami were heading to the Game Shop to see Mr. Mutou about getting documents for Yami under his real name Atem. Joey and Serenity headed off with Tristen to go to their homes while Tea headed off with Seto and Mokuba since her home was in the same direction.

Tea smiled down at the excited Mokuba, who had gotten Yami to agree with joining him at the Kaiba home the following weekend for some lessons on video games. Tea had also been invited to attend the hang out with the Kaiba brothers as they wanted her input on a new game they were designing. She wasn't a huge fan of video games but, who could resist Mokuba's puppy eyes with Seto smirking in amusement behind him.

As they approached the city and suburban limits Tea turned to the brothers with a smile, "So I will see you this weekend! Be safe getting home." Tea was about to walk off when Seto and Mokuba fell into step with her again. Mokuba just laughed, "Tea we're walking you home so we know where to pick you up for Saturday!"

Tea smiled at the brothers, "You guys don't have to do that but, ok if you want to. I can even introduce you to my parents." Mokuba looked excited while Seto just looked neutral. Tea looked up at Seto honestly, "Ya know Kaiba…I know your stepdad was a jerk but, I'm sure my parents will adore you guys just know if my mother decides to adopt you nothing you guys say will change it." She gave a warm smile not realizing she had shocked the brothers who shared a look with each other.

As they approached a decent sized family home the front door opened and a small black haired woman stepped out, "Hello Tea welcome home!" She looked curious with her hazel eyes at the young men following her, "These two must be friends of yours! I'm Maya Gardener, and who might you be?" Mokuba stepped forward and introduced himself, "My name's Mokuba and this is my big brother Seto Kaiba. We just got back so we wanted to walk Tea home."

Maya softened her gaze and kneeled down to give the boy a hug, "It's very chivalrous of you Mokuba and wonderful to meet you!" She moved to her feet before hugging Seto as well, "Thanks for walking my sweet girl home…I don't think she realizes how much trouble she can attract with just a smile." She looked to the house while hugging Seto and yelled, "Tobi sweetie! Come out and meet Tea's friends!"

Seto awkwardly looked to Tea for help who just giggled before extracting her mother from around him. "Yes Mom, it was nice of them to walk me home and please ask before hugging people for the first time." Tea rolled her eyes in exasperation while her mother laughed warmly before a man's voice interrupted.

"If she asked first where would we get out entertainment from my little dancer?" A man with brown hair and deep blue eyes stepped out the front door with a grin. He nodded to the boys, "The Kaiba boys, your company does impressive work. I've even sold a software design or two to you boys that Tea and I made together. Glad to meet you face to face." He smiled at Tea's blush since she normally hides her programming skills from people. "Come on in and join us for lunch if you two aren't busy."

Tea groaned as Mokuba jumped up with excitement, "Tea you really program design too! That's so cool which ones did you guys write." Tobi chuckled at his daughter's reluctance, "We helped with the software for duel disks and holograms for your battle city tournament. Nothing too major."

Seto look appraisingly at Tea, "Interesting this Saturday may yield more positive for the game we're working on then I thought." Tea gave a shy grin, "Yeah I can write and understand a program but, dance is still my passion…please don't tell the others." She gave a dry laugh, "Joey and Tristen might never stop hassling me if they knew I could make video games for them."

Mokuba and her mother laughed at her perspective, "No problem, you don't mind helping out from time to time though for an extra set of eyes do you?" Tea looked down at Mokuba sweetly, "Nah, just so long as I'm not in the spotlight I don't mind."

Tea led the boys inside and saw her father grilling out back, "Hope you guys like marinated steaks!" Seto and Mokuba looked around the cozy living room with surprise. Maya walked back in after them as invited them to sit down anywhere. They saw an original duel monsters game board carved from wood. Seto looked closely in shock, "This is one of the originals that Pegasus made himself!" Maya laughed happily, "Maximillian and I go way back. I was the one who introduced him to Cecilia before she passed."

Maya pulled out a picture book and opened it to a page with her and two others in France, "This is us as kids. Mind you he doesn't really come around anymore but, he did call when he realized our Tea traveled to Duelist Kingdom with her friend Yugi." She sighed, "His losing Cecilia made me worry for him but, when Tea was born he had just finished making this as the second board he ever made and gifted it to us to teach Tea how to play. She can duel a mean game if she uses her special deck."

Mokuba looked at Tea hopefully who caved to his pouting making her mom laugh, "Alright," She pulled a drawer from the side of the board and their in purple velvet lay a deck of duel monster cards. "Hey Mom, mind a play duel?" Maya jumped up giddy and went to grab her own deck. As soon as they settled they began a play duel with Seto and Mokuba watching entranced as they manually tallied life point gains and losses on some number dials in the table.

Seto was amazed about the deck she had and asked a question Tea had been waiting for, "Why didn't you ever enter the competitions?" Tea smiled and pulled a second deck out. "I only duel if I have to…I prefer this duel for fun with my Mom. Some of my best memories are my play duels with my parents." She shrugged, "I feel the competitions just cheat me of that feeling so I decided not to become a world known duelist."

Tobi stepped in and set the food at each table placement with a smile, "She is a strange girl but, she's our strange girl. So how do you all know each other?" Seto nodded accepting the explanation, "Tea and I are classmates. Mokuba met her since she came to watch her friend Yugi duel." Tobi nodded in understanding. "Time to eat everyone, who wants to drink water, soda, juice, or sake?" Tea just grinned and packed her deck into the table before heading to wash her hands in the sink. As everyone sat down Tea helped divvy up the drinks and everyone was able to enjoy a nice home-cooked meal. Then Seto and Tea spent time teaching Mokuba how to use the old duel table and played for several hours.

Tea walked Mokuba and Seto to the door after cleaning the dishes from lunch her mother Maya following her. As they stepped outside Seto and Mokuba both graced the women with a smile, "Thank you for inviting us in and sharing those stories."

Maya happily grinned, "You're welcome and you boys come by anytime you want a home cooked meal and please call me Mom!" Tea just smirked before slapping her hand over her eyes, "Mom, you don't just drop a bomb on them like that!" She grinned at the brothers, "Whelp, you've been adopted…what my mom says goes."

Tobi just chuckled as he moved from behind the door, "My wife's right you boys can come here anytime. I might as well call you boys mine now since Maya's already claimed you." Mokuba looked happy and had tears in his eyes before hopping into Maya's arms for a last hug, "Thanks Mom, I'm glad we got to meet you! Tea we will come and grab you Saturday!"

Tea walked them to the gate where the limo waited for them and smiled at the guys, "Welcome to the family little bros!" She gave them a cheeky wink and let watched as Mokuba hopped into the limo before Seto turned to face her, "Tea…thanks, I didn't think you were serious but, it means a lot." Tea smiled warmly at him, "Anytime Kaiba, come on over whenever." She went to turn when she heard him say, "Call me Seto, especially since you mother decided to claim us." She saw him smirk and laughed with a nod, "I did warn you! See you Saturday Seto."

She walked up and hugged her mom, "You rock Mom…I think you just gave those guys something they sorely needed." Maya looked happy while Tobi looked unsurprised, "It's your mother's gift. Head on to bed Tea you have school tomorrow." Tea nodded in agreement before heading to bed. "Love you guys…goodnight."


	6. 6 Saturday with Kaibas, Atem's Request

Tea was helping her mother prepare breakfast in the kitchen when her cellphone went off. Her father picked it up and Tea nodded for him to answer, "Tea's cellphone, oh hello son are you and Seto heading over? Sure we have plenty come on down we'll have seats set out for you." Tea and Maya shared smiles while listening to the one side of the conversation. Mokuba seemed really excited for today. "Have a fun day with them today Tea. Enjoy the freedom while you're young!" Tea just rolled her eyes, "I'm not marrying Seto, Mom." Her mother pouted before hopping up with a grin, "Oh how about Yugi's Egyptian brother…Atem I think his name was you said."

Tea just shook her head, "Yes his name is Atem but, our friends call him Yami. As for marriage I am too young to be worrying about that now." Tobi chuckled as he set the table and glasses of juice and coffee out. "You know your mother dear; she's a bit like a dog with a bone when it comes to relationships." Tea smiled and dished out the pancakes she had prepared onto one of the serving plates. Maya just scoffed in false offense as she loaded another two plates with omelets of ham and cheese. Tobi unloaded the pan filled with the meats and a plate was filled with sausage links, bacon, and some added diced ham. Tea rounded to the stove and finished off the hash browns as Maya rushed to the door. "Welcome home my precious boys come on in!"

Mokuba ran into the dining area and gave an eager hug to Tobi who chuckled warmly ruffling his hair. Seto came in arms full of the over affectionate Maya causing Tea to snort at the sink as she quickly scrapped out the left over bits to prevent them from sticking. She then removed the apron and happily washed her hands to join everyone at the table sitting in between Seto and Mokuba. Maya sat at on table end next to Seto and Mokuba eagerly sat next to Tobi who was more than happy to entertain the boy.

Tea smiled thoughtfully at her parents and the brothers, 'Maybe I should have brought everyone along sooner…I know after having me Mom couldn't have any more children but, they always wanted boys.' She then saw Seto smile and heard him refer to her mother as Mom. Maya's smile was radiant and made Tea very happy to enjoy her breakfast. As she finished her breakfast with everyone else Mokuba asked for a stool to help Tobi do the dishes. Maya was giggling but, more than happy to comply and allowed the young boy to dry the dishes as Tobi cleaned them.

Soon enough all the dishes were clean and the three were stepping outside to head to the limo which had just returned for them. Seto held open the door and motioned for Tea to slide in first. Easily she situated herself before Mokuba climbed in her lap speaking quickly about how much different it was to have breakfast with them. Seto merely sat across from them closing his eyes enjoying the warmth of the atmosphere. Suddenly a thought popped into his head with dread, 'Damn, I let Mokuba invite Wheeler didn't I…just remember no killing the mutt.'

Tea snickered and fake whispered to Mokuba, "I think he just realized he's going to be stuck hanging out with Joey all day with us." Mokuba laughed and just agreed, "Yeah but, Joey is our friend and like it or not Seto's gotta get used to him sometime!" Seto playfully glared at Mokuba who just remained with his cheeky grin. Tea snickered into her hand and gasped as she saw the expansive space of the Kaiba home. "Guys what in the world do you do with all this space?"

Mokuba saw that Yugi and the others had arrived just behind them in Joey and Mai's cars. "I'll give you a tour once everyone's settled in for the day." Tea gave a smile while agreeing, "Sure, looking forward to it." Seto just sighed before climbing out of the limo and moving to open the door. He and Mokuba had arranged for the maid staff to set up the party snacks and such in the entertainment areas where the game was going to be tested.

As Seto let everyone in and Tea was pulled along by the excited Mokuba he noted Atem stopped beside him. "Kaiba, can I talk with you in private when you have a moment?" Seto remained curious his dark blue eyes meeting the intense amethyst of the slightly shorter man. "I don't see why I couldn't spare a few minutes…just let's make sure everyone is settled." It didn't take long for the first volunteers to begin the beta testing of the first two stages of the game. Joey and Tristen teamed up to solve the puzzles which they weren't very good at much to the amusement of everyone around them. Noticing Mokuba had already begun giving Tea the promised tour he motioned for Atem to follow him.

They passed by Mokuba and Tea heading back from his office and he cocked an eyebrow at them, "Showing her from top to bottom?" Mokuba grinned as Tea shrugged, "Just following the mini house lord." Mokuba pouted as Tea winked causing Atem and Seto to chuckle at the two interacting. Once Tea and Mokuba left to the lower level Seto guided Atem into his office and locked the door. He included soundproofing in all his office walls and doors for security purposes. "You wanted to talk Mutou?"

Atem looked at Kaiba seriously, "I may need your assistance…it's about Tea." Seto had been about to scoff until her name was mentioned. He narrowed his eyes, "What about her?" Atem took a deep breath, "I know you don't put much if any stock in magic but," Atem again explained everything about how he went to the afterlife, watched over them all.

Seto dropped heavily into his office chair, "The Gardener's die…and your saying after Tea will be diagnosed with a disease." Atem nodded sadly, "I don't know the circumstances of the Gardeners' deaths but, I do know that if caught early enough closer to her parents' passing we can save Tea." Kaiba looked skeptical but asked, "Why tell me this?" Atem simply stated, "I don't know how it developed but, you and Mokuba were close to Tea after I left…you seemed close like family almost." Seto closed his eyes and thought of a plausible excuse to try and protect both the Gardener's and Tea.

"I'll help…if you can use your magic to discover how the Gardener's passed and when. Mokuba and I, we're quite attached to them now." Atem looked curious so Seto explained, "We walked Tea home after we all got back from Egypt. Her parents basically adopted us on first meeting…they are," he stopped as Atem finished for him, "They are the parents you never had since you were young. Gozaburo was a monster and these are good people." He nodded in understanding before retreating from the office, "I will find out what I can. I don't know if the gods will allow it though."

Seto closed his eyes, "All I'm asking is for you to try." Thus the deal was made for one to save the woman he loves and for the other to save his new family.


	7. Ch 7 Trouble for Mokuba, Maya's Fury

Soon enough the weekend had ended and everyone had a blast. The game had a few bugs but, Tea double checked the programming later before the brother's took her home and easily helped remedy the glitch before beta testing the small portion of the game with Seto in Co-op story mode. Both were satisfied with the smoothness of the game play but Tea noted, "Have you hired voice actors for the final edits of the cast or no?"

Seto looked at Tea and shook his head, "No we haven't gotten to that point yet. We were just using automated computer generated voices for now." Mokuba hopped up, "Yeah we wanted to perfect the game play and touch on the video and audio for the scenes later."

Tea nodded with a smile, "Well let me know when you guys are testing for voice actors I may have a few suggestions." The brothers were happy to agree as Tea helped clean up after everybody else went home. As the last bag of trash was loaded into the rolling can for pick up at the end of the driveway Seto pulled out a smaller white Sedan. Mokuba and Tea climbed in the back and Tea was happy to note that everyone had fun and no one murdered Joey.

Mokuba handed Tea his homework assignment for English and was excited as she read the storyline. "Mokuba this is incredible. You must have designed the game story right?" Mokuba looked proud, "Yeah I'm not so good a drawing but, the story was mostly me. Seto does the programming and some of the drawings. The landscapes are mostly computer generated though since he can only draw people and animals."

Tea looked over for any spelling or grammatical errors and simply said, "This looks great you should get an awesome grade for this Mokuba." He looked happy to hear it; English was his most challenging subject as Seto knew well. He had the creative skills but, his ability to organize into proper paragraphs wasn't always so good. Tea looked up to Mokuba, "Now you know not to let your other classmates see this kind of assignment before you turn it in right?" Mokuba looked confused as Seto sighed, "No he may have shown it to someone. I tried telling him but maybe he will understand it better from you."

Mokuba just looked a bit confused and Tea grinned, "Some people have what's called photographic memory Mokuba. They could memorize your work write it in the own handwriting and submit it as their own work." Mokuba looked shocked, "You mean they cheat and steal work in school too!" Tea nodded sadly, "It can cause a huge debacle so I would make sure to hand it in to your teacher as soon as you get to school. Let the teacher know you just didn't want to misplace your assignment before presentation time." Mokuba nodded looking worried, "I don't think Shin would do something like that but, I will give it to him first thing Tea."

The older girl nodded exchanging a glance with Seto. She moved forward to talk with him directly, "Hey have you ever been called during school to grab Mokuba?" Seto shook his head no. Tea gave a concerned glance, "Maybe you can ask my parents to keep an ear out in case something happens…that way you can finish school and Mokuba can get help from an adult. Just in case, you know?" Seto gave a nod in agreement, "I will sign the letter and call the school with their number in case something happens…I've had a bad feeling about this since he told me."

Tea smiled and patted him on the shoulder as he drove, "I'm sure they won't have a problem looking out for him. You've never seen my Mom when she's defending the people she cares about." Seto couldn't help it as he raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Tea smirked and playfully shuddered, "Think of a Mama Bear or Mama Tiger on steroids…really protective and really scary. She's a force of nature."

Seto just smirked, "Good…maybe the school will be more concerned when it's her doing the yelling." Tea gave a conspiratory wink, "Oh they will…I'm sure they haven't forgotten her since I was there years ago." As they arrived at home Tea and Seto brought the Gardeners up to speed on the situation and Tobi and Maya were more than happy to fill out the paperwork authorizing them to be contacted first if during school hours to assist Mokuba. Seto was able to take Mokuba home feeling a lot more confident knowing Mokuba had the Gardeners looking out for him and for the first time in ages he looked forward to attending school with the Queen of Friendship and her friends.

~The following day of School~

Mokuba quickly was dropped off early and did as Tea recommended dropping off his assignments with his teachers for all his classes. He didn't want to lose them or get them mixed up with his work for the day and the teachers happily accepted the papers. He went through his classes smoothly until English he and Shin were both asked to remain after class. A stone dropped into his stomach but, he stayed calm.

The teacher looked down kindly at the boys, "Do you two know why I asked you to stay?" Mokuba shook his head no while Shin nodded in agreement. The teacher gave a disappointed sigh, "The stories you both wrote were identical…word for word. Mokuba dropped his assignment off to me first thing this morning. You turned in the same exact paper in class." Mokuba looked at Shin who looked a bit guilty but wouldn't admit to cheating. "Do either of you want to admit to stealing the other's idea or copying the other's work?" The teacher asked strictly.

Mokuba simply stepped forward, "Sir, I only shared my paper with Shin one time but, I don't know how our papers ended up the same. I handed my paper into you right away when I got here this morning as I gave all of my teachers my assignments. I didn't have any time to make changes." Shin simply remained silent causing the teacher to grimace, "And you Shin, How about you anything to say in your defense regarding the identical assignments?" Shin just shook his head causing the teacher to sigh and Mokuba to glare. "I guess I have to call your guardians. Mokuba should I call your brother or is there someone else?" Mokuba sighed, "You can call Mrs. Gardener my brother approved her to help with school while he is at school himself."

The teacher paled, "You wouldn't happen to be talking about Maya Gardener would you?" The older man almost whimpered as Mokuba responded, "Yeah, she's like a mom to me and Seto. Tea's like a big sister to me!" He sighed and moved to the phone calling both sets of guardians since neither boy confessed to cheating.

~In the front office of the school~

Maya and Tobi entered and moved to stand with Mokuba. Another woman stood by Shin who looked confused. Before either parent could say anything the teacher began, "It seems that both of these boys had identical assignments for creative writing in English class. I have to ask before anyone else speaks, does either child possess photographic memory or a similar condition?" The Gardeners both had been explained extensively by Seto all of Mokuba's unique conditions and that wasn't one of them. "Not Mokuba, Mr. Hiwakari."

Shin's mother sighed, "Shin has photographic memory…I am so sorry about this but, creative writing isn't his forte and it seems he didn't learn from last time this happened." She frowned down at Shin who looked up at her confused, "You can't copy someone else's work Shin. It's dishonest and cheating and is bound to fail you in class."

Shin just looked at Mokuba, "When he gave it to me didn't that make it mine though? Isn't that a present?" It became obvious to Maya what the confusion was. "Miss have you ever had your son evaluated by a doctor for learning or social conditions?"

The woman glared at Maya, "There is nothing wrong with my boy! He's just like everyone else." Before Maya could step in offended Tobi moved forward, "That isn't what my wife was saying at all. How old is your son?" The woman became slightly less defensive, "He's six years old. He's so smart on tests that they jumped him up several grades."

Maya turned to the councilors furious on the boy's behalf, "You let a 6 year old boy jump into an older grade. Have you been meeting with him regularly? Watching his socialization with the other kids?" The principal hearing the commotion stepped out of his office due to the noise and winced seeing the angry Maya. He was used to the woman's fury from the issues they had with her intelligent but, uncooperative daughter. He recalled the teachers recommending she skip grades and Maya's blatant refusal.

"What seems to be the problem Mrs. Gardener? I see Mr. Kaiba assigned you to watch Mokuba while he was in school with your daughter Tea." The older gentleman asked calmly bracing himself for her fury. She placed her cold hazel eyes on him, "The problem is that a 6 year old boy is sitting in class with kids 6 years older than him. He is copying their work because he doesn't understand that's cheating. I ask again, have the school councilors been meeting with him regularly and monitoring his interactions with the other students?"

The man gestured to his office, "Please let's take this conversation into my office. That way I can get this information from the beginning." So the group gathered into seats in the office. Tobi motioned to Shin and his mother to sit quietly and let Maya speak. After the principal was caught up he sighed, "It seems that he was skipped due to passing the tests based on grade level." He calmly looked to the mother who looked concerned, "Have your son redo the assignment. I will see about assigning a councilor to keep an eye on him from now on. I want to make sure he is adjusting properly in school."


	8. 8 Home with the Gardeners, Maya Explains

After school Seto noticed a voicemail on his phone and quickly listened to it while Tea said goodbye to Yugi and the others. Atem remained at the shop helping grandpa who made sure he did courses online for his High school diploma claiming he was used to being homeschooled. Tea hadn't seen him since Saturday and asked Yugi how he seemed to be settling in.

"He's doing alright Tea. I'm sure he plans on reaching out to you once everything settles down. He told me as much himself so just keep an eye out okay?" Yugi said kindly as he moved to head home. Tea gave a small nod, "Thanks Yugi, tell him and Grandpa I said hello!" Yugi gave a friendly laugh, "I sure will, bye Tea!"

Tea smiled and waved until her friends were gone before turning to Seto, "So did everything go okay?" Seto sighed, "Yeah, apparently the boy who copied his work is 6 years old…who skips a child that far ahead?" Tea groaned, "Oh no…" Seto looked curious as Tea headed towards his car in the parking lot. "What?" Tea looked almost worn, "I'll let my parents explain that one." He simply accepted that it was a familiar subject that she didn't want to talk about.

As they returned to the Gardener home they saw a despondent Mokuba sitting on the stoop. Tea crouched down in front of him, "Hey Mokuba, you alright?" Mokuba nodded and looked up at Tea confused, "You were like me…the teachers tried to pressure you into skipping grades. We got to say no but, Shin didn't." Tea gave Seto a glance and stood, "I'll take care of Mokuba. Go ahead and get the details from Mom and Dad, Seto."

Tea held her hand out for Mokuba before guiding him to the ice cream parlor across the street. "Hey sweetie, tell me everything." She let him enjoy his ice cream as he described everything from the conversation with the teacher to the results in the office. Tea sighed, "Yeah Shin is a perfect example of why I refused to skip grades as a kid. I didn't want to end up with people so much older than me and I would have missed my friends."

Mokuba grinned, "Yeah, that's how I thought about it too but, Shin just keeps to himself all the time. It's not healthy." Tea looked concerned, "Is there a reason…did your classmates bully him or anything?" Mokuba shrugged, "Nothing that I ever noticed. There are whispers that he's a freak though from some of the other kids. Not to his face but," Tea nodded, "Sounds to me like he needs a friend or two. He needs to start getting out and socializing more. Does he like games?"

Mokuba frowned thoughtfully his nose scrunched a bit causing Tea to bite her lip to stop her from giggling. He looked up, "I don't know. What kind of game do you think he'd enjoy?" Tea smiled and looked at Mokuba, "Why don't you invite him and his mother out to buy him some duel monster cards?" Mokuba grinned his eyes lit up, "That's a great idea Tea! The strategy will keep him occupied and maybe he'll actually have fun with some people by learning to duel."

Tea gave an encouraging nod, "Dueling can make even the most introverted people become more sociable with others." Mokuba hopped up as Tea paid for the ice creams and brought him back home.

~With the Gardeners~

Seto hummed with understanding, "So Tea was against skipping grades for the same reasons as Mokuba. They didn't mind being bored if it meant they got to play with their friends."

Maya smiled as she saw the cream at the corner of Mokuba's mouth. Tea winked at Seto who just shook his head with a smirk as Mokuba got cleaned up by Maya. He seemed to bask in her affectionate attentions. Tobi nodded to Tea who sat between him and Seto with a smile.

"Hey Mokuba, why don't you tell everything the idea we talked about?" Tea gave a smug grin as everyone looked at the excited Mokuba.

"Hey Seto, do you think Shin and his mom would join us at Mr. Mutou's shop to buy cards to create a starter duelists deck?" Seto quirked an eyebrow, "Oh how do you think that will help?" Tea just kept silent and let Mokuba explain, "He's awkward and doesn't socialize well. What better way to get him to interact than a strategy game like duel monsters?"

Seto looked to Tea who hid a smile behind her hands, "This has you written all over it Friendship Queen." Tea wink with a cheeky, "Yep!" The group simply laughed as Kaiba contacted the school to request the contact information for Shin's mother. After receiving it he was quick to call and put the phone on speaker,

"Hello this is Hina. Can I help you?" A woman's voice sounded through the phone. Seto gave a warm greeting, "Hello Hina, my name is Seto Kaiba, how are you?"

"I'm doing well I do apologize for Shin's behavior towards Mokuba." The woman apologized with a sigh. Seto grinned, "My brother actually had an idea that might help. Have you ever heard of duel monsters?" The woman seemed to hesitate, "Oh the card game with the holograms?" Seto hummed in agreement. "What about the game?" The woman was honestly curious.

"My brother wants to invite you both out to the Game Shop run by Mr. Mutou to help create a starter deck so that Mokuba can teach him how to duel. He thinks that the game will help Shin become more accustomed to interacting with others." Seto remained patient and kind as the woman seemed to consider it.

"I am willing to try anything at this point, you mean Solomon Mutou's Game Shop, right?" The woman replied causing Mokuba to cheer. The woman could be heard chuckling as Seto confirmed the location. "We can head straight there after school on Friday if you like?" Seto suggested and Tea smiled. "I really appreciate it. I think this could be good for him."

Tea nodded and stood to call Yugi, "I'll be right back." As she stepped out and called Yugi she told him the plan and he even offered to have Atem and the others there to help the kid out. "Great Yugi, I'm going to owe you guys one." She moved back into the room, "All set they'll be expecting us Friday after school, Yugi and Atem even offered to have the other's there to help." Mokuba danced in the background causing everyone to laugh. Seto said, "Have to hand it to you Tea, you know your stuff."


	9. Ch 9 Game Shop, Joey's Biggest Fan

Shin was happily waiting with his mother and Mokuba as a limo pulled up in front of school. Seto opened the door and invited everyone to hop in. Tea and Seto sat across from Shin and Hina. Mokuba decided he wanted to sit on the floor between them.

"So Shin, what kind of deck are you interested in?" Tea asked since she was curious. He looked up and Tea was happy to see and excited sparkle. "It's a surprise!" Tea chuckled with Seto behind her hand. "It will be good to see the gang again outside of school I mean." Tea had been busy dancing and helping the brothers with their game.

Seto groaned, "Just not the mutt!" Tea smacked him on the chest playfully, "Be nice to him Seto he's my friend! You like his sister just fine anyhow." Seto sighed, "Fine," He looked to Mokuba who until now had never really played duel monsters it was more his thing he had to ask. "Will you be making a deck too Mokuba? I don't mind paying for them."

Hina looked surprised since he had already said he would purchase a whole custom deck for Shin. She remained silent since he smiled and she shrugged. Tea grinned, 'Nice woman and a good mother. Loves her boy she's young for a mom though.' "Hey how did you come to have Shin? You look around our age."

Hina smiled, "Shin is actually my nephew but, when his parents passed away four years ago I was the only relative willing to take him in. I refused to let him fall into the system." Tea smiled warmly in return, "Would have done the same. Family is everything." Seto looked at Hina even more appraisingly while Tea smirked towards the window. 'Hook, Line, and Sinker…Seto's interested.'

As they parked across the street from the Game Shop the two boys hopped out excited, "I want to make a magic inspired deck." Mokuba announced as he looked up at Tea. She smiled and held out her hand for Shin to grab, "You still want to keep your deck idea a secret Shin?" The young boy nodded with a small smile. Hina watched him gladly and turned to Seto, "I can't thank you and your brother enough for doing this." Seto shook his head, "You should thank her, and Tea gave my brother the idea. We just agreed that it would be a good step to help him come out of his shell a little."

Hina still smiled and thanked him anyway, "Then let me thank you for offering to buy his first deck. I honestly have no idea how much they cost or how to build a proper deck for the game. He was already talking about practicing so he could join in the tournaments." She giggled, "I think we're creating a monster."

Seto nodded with a small smirk, "That's a good sign that he is going to enjoy this enough and start making friends. You'd be surprised at how easy it can be to do so no matter the other duelists' ages in tournaments. Lots of people make friends of all ages." Hina just saw the excitement on Shin's face, "His mother would have loved to see this. She really loved her little boy."

Tea entered the shop and Mokuba greeted the famous duelists as Shin stood star struck. "Hey Shin, come meet everyone. These guys are friends of mine." Tea moved forward with Shin as Seto and Hina stood by the door with Solomon who laughed at the amazed boys face. "Hey seems to be a shy youngster, huh?" Hina smiled, "I think he's in shock. He's meeting his dueling idol."

Solomon guessed, "Yugi?" Hina laughed, "You would think that but, no…Joey Wheeler." Seto groaned and slapped his hand over his eyes, "Not the mutt!" Hina just looked amused at the pained expression on his face.

Shin ran up to Joey who looked shocked before he smiled, "Well hey there kid, what's your name?" Tea smiled widely as she saw the eagerness, "I'm Shin and I'm your biggest fan Joey!" Yugi and the others looked shocked. While Tristen laughed, "Aw that's cute you got a little fan now Joey. Wonder if he duels better than you!"

Joey grinned at the kid before saying, "Nice to meet ya Shin. Tristen Shuddup!" Tea smiled as Shin jumped up and down, "Can you help me pick out cards for my Time Wizard deck Joey?" Mokuba had already walked up to Atem asking about a magician style deck. Tea sighed at another opportunity lost to speak with Atem but smiled at the kids. Joey crouched down and laughed, "Sure kid, why not. Let's start by finding you a Time Wizard and a Time Machine magic card and even a Thousand Year Old Dragon just to start with." He looked to Solomon, "You have those cards here Gramps?"

Solomon laughed, "I have Time Wizard and Time Machine, not too sure about the Dragon though Joey." Joey just grinned a little as the man found the cards to start with. He went to search for the dragon but in the meantime Shin started looking at other cards with Joey. He pulled out scape goat and pot of greed. Joey and Shin had fun picking out all sorts of cards while Mokuba was building his deck adding in some trap cards.

Shin started looking at some trap cards now that he had about 20 cards. He needed another 20 for a full deck. Tea went back to the magic cards and picked two cards out the swords of revealing light followed by monster reborn. She then went to the trap cards and grabbed the Energy Absorbing Monolith. "Here you go Shin these are 3 very useful cards." Shin smiled and thanked Tea as Yugi and Joey looked at the cards in awe, "Gramps I didn't know we had that card?"

Shin looked happy as he retrieved a balanced deck of Monsters, Magic, and Trap cards. Solomon rung up the cards but did mention, "I do apologize but, I could find a Thousand Year Old dragon." Joey grabbed his deck and took a card out handing it to Shin after Kaiba paid for the two decks.

"Here ya go Shin; I can always hunt down another one but, can't let my biggest fan go without a complete deck, now can I." Shin looked at the card in amazement before asking Joey, "Are you sure you want to give me your thousand year old dragon, Joey?" Joey smiled and everyone smiled as he shuffled it into the kid's deck. "Yeah, I can find another one but, this is your chance to shine buddy."

"Thank you Joey! I can't wait to join a tournament, I'm gonna beat you in a duel someday!" Shin exclaimed, Joey ruffled his hair, "I'm lookin' forward to it." The day ended full of laughter and Atem just watched his love with a soft gaze without her noticing causing Solomon to chuckle. "Ah kids these days."


	10. Kaiba's Demand Met, Atem's Confession

Atem had received the tidbit of information from the gods about the danger posed to the Gardeners. They had been curious as to why when he explained about the connection to the Kaibas they were more amendable.

"We cannot tell all Pharaoh but, they will be in danger within a year after Tea graduates from Julliard. A man with a grudge against her will try to strike at her through them." The voice of Ra spoke.

"Have I met this enemy of hers?" Atem questioned honestly, the voices echoed, "Ask the father…he will know." Atem graciously thanked the gods before breaking from his meditative state. He looked up at the clock and moved towards his phone dialing the number for Seto.

"Hello?" He heard Mokuba answer as he picked up the line. "Hello Mokuba, is your brother there?" Mokuba could be heard moving around, "Seto, Atem is on the phone for you." He heard the phone being transferred to another hand.

"Kaiba here, did you find out anything?" The man was obviously busy but stopped to talk. "Yes, the family is safe until within the year following Tea's graduation from the School of Arts in New York." He heard the scratch of a pen on paper and noted that Kaiba was writing down what he was told. "Anything else like who causes it?"

Atem sighed, "Someone who is an enemy of hers but, I don't think she would realize it. They recommended I speaking with her father about it."

"I will handle the Gardeners you focus on finally talking to Tea." He bristled at the order in the other man's voice. "You owe her a conversation at the very least since you haven't really spent any time with her since you got a body of your own."

Atem sighed, "Yes, I plan on inviting her out after I speak with her father." Seto laughed, "Good Luck Mutou…you're going to need it." Atem stared at the phone as he heard the dial tone from Seto hanging up, "Thanks Kaiba, that makes everything so much simpler."

Atem looked to Solomon who smiled, "Going to the Gardener's home? Good luck Atem my boy." Atem smiled at Solomon, "Thank you Grandpa." Atem moved around after checking he had his wallet and his jacket.

Solomon laughed as the boy left the store before picking up the phone, "Hey Tobi, yes looks like Atem has finally mustered the courage to come speak with you." The old man chuckled as the younger man groaned in denial, "I told you he is serious about dating your daughter and making her happy. Just don't give him too much trouble, Tea would never forgive you."

The man replied causing Solomon to crack up again, "True Maya won't let you do it either. She'd sooner marry them herself." The older man hung up the phone and began wiping off the display cases for the cards and figurines in his shop chuckling to himself.

~At the Gardener Home~

Tea had already been distracted by her mother who insisted on taking her shopping for some summer clothes. Maya had heard the call and wanted to leave her husband with the boy after a stern warning about not scaring him off since she knows Tea really likes him. He gave a dejected sigh as he looked at the clock he had about 10 minutes before the boy arrived. He started looking at the photos on the mantle with a smile as a Chuck Wicks song came to mind.

"She was playing Cinderella, She was riding her first bike, Bouncing on the bed and looking for a pillow fight, Running through the sprinkler with a big popsicle grin, Dancing with her dad, looking up at me,  
In her eyes he's Prince Charming, But to me he's just some fella, Riding in and stealing Cinderella." He sang to himself as he pulled out a small glass of sake to prepare his nerves for this conversation.

"After tonight she won't just be my little girl anymore…man she grew up so fast." Tobi heard the knock on the door and cleaned the glass out before answering. "Come on in Atem, I've been wondering when you'd show."

Atem looked surprised before he chuckled, "Grandpa told you I was coming." Tobi looked pleasantly surprised. "Of course, she's my little girl he tells me everything concerning her. I thought it would be Yugi coming for a heart to heart but, it's you instead." He looked into the eyes of the younger man, "I'm not surprised though…she always said Yugi was a sweet little brother."

Tobi gestured towards the couch, "Take a seat." He sat himself down across from the man and looked him over critically. "What do you want to talk about?" Atem gave a small smile, "I wish to have your blessing to court Tea." Tobi quirked a brow at Atem, "Just to date my daughter you came all this way? Most boys would just ask the girl directly."

Atem looked up at Tobi, "Ah but, I intend for my courtship to end in marriage to Tea. I know she dreams of Julliard School of Arts and dancing on Broadway. I intend to be at her side all the way." Tobi just hummed thoughtfully, "What kind of future do you have to offer her?"

Atem gave a soft smile, "A future filled with love and all the trials and obstacles that come with it. I will be at her side for the rest of our lives and even beyond." Tobi understood the feelings and depth the boy felt but, he needed more. "How will you provide for her? How will you care for any children you may have?" Atem answered honestly, "The future isn't set in stone but, I duel in a tournament which brings an income in and I also intend to partner with the Ishtar family to remain in charge of their Egyptian exhibits both here and in New York. I may even do some side work with Seto Kaiba."

Tobi nodded and resigned himself to speak with Seto about keeping an eye on the young man, "I will approve for now…you will come to me before asking her to marry you. I am not the only one you need approval from young man." Atem nodded in agreement understanding, "Just know this Mr. Gardener…I love Tea with all that I am and will ever be. Not even the gods would dare to keep us apart." Tobi couldn't help but respect the definitiveness of his statement. 'Good man…you'll need that resolve in order to keep my precious daughter.'


	11. ADOPTION NOTICE

Hello my Readers!

As you may no doubt be aware I placed this story up for adoption a little while ago. This story officially has a new parent and that is Phoenix Skyfire! Please go over and check it out on their page but please be patient as they need the chance to go over the story and make any tiny adjustments as needed!

~BlueSirenRose


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